Lakers Look Like Lakers Again

Perhaps Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash will be allowed to wear the classic Lakers gold again when their team stands fewer than eight games behind the Clippers.

Basketball isn’t the most traditional of Christmas sports. But with hockey on indefinite hiatus and football relegated to weekend, the gap in the schedule is one NBA commissioner David Stern is too pragmatic to avoid passing up. It’s a chance to provide another distraction for families both happy and unhappy–along with flu-ridden, couch-bound relatives like this Fixer–and an opportunity to showcase some of the league’s most impressive teams. As the lifeless Rockets-Bulls blowout proved, it’s not always a bet that pays off across the board. Otherwise, it was a slate of games that portended real changes in the state of the league, on top of being an excellent way to avoid talking about exactly how dry the ham was.

Over in Los Angeles, the Clippers stretched their win streak to 14 games in a row, a further statement that they’ve become the alpha dog in town, if not the entire league. By the numbers, they’re doing just about everything right, from strong bench play to crisp passing to celebrity-galvanizing dunks. But as will be until the end of time, their crosstown rivals are again the talk of the town now that Steve Nash and Pau Gasol are back, allowing the Lakers to deliver on some of their wildly optimistic preseason expectations. They’re riding a five-game win streak, further legitimized by a systemic takedown of the suddenly formidable New York Knicks that showcased the type of fluid teamwork Mike D’Antoni promised to bring to town along with the expected dose of Kobe-osity, of course. Still, it was a mostly group effort highlighted by a Nash double-double and a game-sealing dunk from Gasol. “Nash’s return has more Lakers touching the ball and playing freer. And as D’Antoni predicted, the defense has also improved because the Lakers are playing with more effort because they’re happier on offense,” writes Yahoo’s Marc Spears. “D’Antoni’s idea to move Bryant to small forward and start Darius Morris while bringing Metta World Peace off the bench has also worked. Pau Gasol has awoken, as well.” Based on their records, it would be silly to claim that the Lakers have suddenly surpassed the Clippers. Give it time, though, for a city rivalry that’s actually interesting–sorry, Brooklyn Nets fans–to get some more juice.

A Finals rematch between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder served to further show that Miami is the championship favorite until proven otherwise. Risk/reward point guard Russell Westbrook was driven into another sloppy game, as commonly happened against the Heat last June, and vented his frustrations in less productive ways than hoped for. It was close in the end, too, with the Thunder a score away from tying the game in the final seconds. But with Miami’s Big Three each reaching the 20-point mark, highlighted by a typically stellar LeBron James triple-double, it would be hard to argue that it isn’t business as usual in this rivalry. “Break down the angle-by-angle replays all you want, the Thunder’s reality coming out of this game is the same as it was when they lost four of five in the Finals. There have been plenty of platitudes on how that series was closer than the result. The same could be said of Tuesday evening,” writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “But simply the Thunder may have to evaluate their strategy against the Heat if they hope to turn this tide around.”

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Since breaking every fantasy league in the country a few years ago, Michael Vick’s tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles has been a colossal drag, with turnover piled on top of injury to eventually send him to the bench in favor of not-quite golden boy Nick Foles, who then led the Eagles to a 1-6 record as a starter. But with Foles sidelined because of a broken hand, Vick will get another chance to start in what could be his final game as an Eagle, as Philadelphia takes on the New York Giants in the last week of the season. For those champing at the bit to witness a potentially disastrous effort–remember, Vick had 10 fumbles (five lost) and nine interceptions in only nine games–it’s not like the stakes of this game are as low as Vick claims they are. Consider the ripples across the NFL should he put up a strong effort: “There are a few teams who will look for suitable starters next season—the Chiefs, Cardinals and Bills immediately come to mind—and one of them will give Vick a chance,” writes Deadspin’s Samer Kalaf, “but combined with the opportunity to knock the Giants out of the playoffs, his performance puts more stake into an otherwise meaningless Week 17 game for Philly.” It’s enough reason to pay attention on Sunday and see whether the $100 million man has any league-breaking mojo left in him.

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Almost all great players must eventually spend some time recuperating from injury, regardless of how immune to pain they think they are. But Rafael Nadal’s gradual recovery from a perennial knee problem has proved especially troubling, now that it’s been more than half a year since he’s taken the court, with little to show for it. On Tuesday, Nadal’s camp announced that he would miss a planned exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Thursday due to a stomach illness.

To be sure, a tummy bug isn’t a resurgence of tendinitis, and time in bed with five seasons of “The Wire” on DVD should serve him well. Still, it’s a bit of a bummer to see Nadal further delayed, given all that there is for him to reclaim in a tennis climate as competitive as ever. “The real test will come when his sneakers hit the red clay in April. Even when he’s at his best there are explanations as to why Nadal is susceptible to losses on hard and grass,” writes Sports Illustrated’s Courtney Nguyen. “But he’s the King of Clay for a reason, and if he can’t dominate the dirt this year the way he has in the past, the disappointment and doubt could undo his year.” Considering the seven-month layoff, the French Open isn’t too far away. A silver lining for tennis fans: the Australian Open begins in less than three weeks, Nadal or not.

SPORTS, THE JOURNAL WAY

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